Pineapple Zucchini Bread: An unexpected + delightful Discovery

There’s something special about zucchini bread. Is it the shifty look that you get from a curious pal, seemingly scolding you with, “No thanks, I don’t like veggies hiding in my sweet treats” or that you are just suspicious of all words that start with the penultimate (i.e. most pretentious) letter in the alphabet?  Well, fear not!  This recipe is for your nay-sayin’ pals as well as all of the veteran, zucchini-bread fans.  The pineapple is the unexpected delight, keeping this bread sweet (but not in excess) and moist (while still maintaining firmness) all the live-long week.  Well, maybe not a week…it will be devoured quicker than you can say, “Zacharia Zebra played the zither as he twirled -
zigging and zagging all ‘round the world!  In fact, it didn’t last long enough for a photograph!  One loaf went to the teacher’s lounge, and Mr. Trek + I snorkled down every last crumb of the second loaf within just a few days!  There’s an excellent shot of the treat over at Simply Recipes, if my step-by-steps aren’t enough to inspire you to immediately put this in your oven and bake it!

Simply Recipes – Zucchini Bread with Pineapple

3 eggs

1 cup olive oil

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups coarsely grated zucchini

1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, drained

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixer, beat eggs. Add oil, sugar, and vanilla; continue beating mixture until thick and foamy. With a spoon, stir in the zucchini and pineapple.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A third at a time, add dry ingredients into wet and gently stir (by hand) after each addition. Add the walnuts and raisins, blend gently.

Divide the batter equally between 2 greased and flour-dusted 5 by 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.

Yield:  2 loaves.

Adapted from a 1974 Sunset Magazine recipe, quoted on Simply Recipes

Viva la Frida!

Twenty-twelve…the year of the auspicious dragon (and the phoenix)!  I find that it can be helpful to name a year, and allow all New Year’s intentions to be fulfilled by the chosen moniker.  2012 = My Year of Strength.  What are your intentions for this new year, and what would you choose for its name?

To begin with strength of mind, Mr. Trek and I joined the Goodreads 50/50 Challenge: to read fifty books, and view fifty films, (all new to us) during the year.  Pinterest is a great spot to track the progress, if you’re doing this challenge or one which is similar. 

One of the first reads that I chose for 2012 was The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait.  Talk about starting off the year true to theme!  Frida Kahlo always has fascinated me, and she truly embodied strength through perseverance and self-awareness.  “The body is the temple of the soul. The face is the temple of the body. And when the body breaks,the soul has no other shrine except the face.”

Such an inspirational and reflective piece of art and poetry requires a cozy meal that will snuggle you right in!  Enter a newly discovered recipe from a *fantastic* cookbook, Clean Food, loaned to me by Patricia.  With the earthiness of the mushrooms and the heartiness of the beans and legumes, it’s basically the love child of a good veggie soup and a bean concoction.  The barley puffs up during the simmering process, and the kombu basically eliminates the unpleasantries (ahem, can we say, “Toot City”) sometimes provided by our friend, the lentil.  Feel free to throw in any veggies from your pantry or fridge, but plan ahead.  This delightful dish, called Goodness Soup, takes approximately three hours to simmer to its fabulous potential! 

Goodness Soup

2 thumb-sized pieces kombu*

2T EVOO

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. mushrooms, chopped

5 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 ½ c cooked navy or great northern beans

1c hulled barley, rinsed

1c lentils, rinsed

1T dried parsley

1T dried basil

1 bay leaf

¼ c mirin or white wine

2T tamari

12c water

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Place kombu* in bowl with enough water to cover, soak 10 minutes until soft. Drain, mince and set aside.

In large pot over medium heat, sauté onion and mushrooms in olive oil for 5 minutes. Lower heat and add carrots, celery, beans, barley, lentils, parsley, basil, bay leaf, mirin and tamari. Stir to combine, add water and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to low, add kombu and continue cooking covered for a minimum of 3 hours – the longer it cooks, the thicker it will get. Add water as desired to thin, particularly when reheating leftovers.

Remove bay leaf (if you can find it), season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Soup will keep in fridge for up to 1 week or can be kept in airtight containers in the freezer.

*Kombu – a type of dried seaweed/sea vegetable found in Asian markets; infuses foods with minerals such as iodine and iron. Also known for its ability to tenderize legumes and reduce their gaseous properties.

Variation

Stir one tablespoon miso dissolved in three tablespoons of water into each serving.

Yield – 8+ servings

Dress Up Your Salad…with a Citrus Vinaigrette!

Happy New Year! Here’s a tasty lil’ number that will dazzle almost as much as your matching sequined pumps, top hat and light-up headband (yeah, we know that’s how you roll). This holiday, we were gifted us with some stunning, Meyer lemon extra-virgin olive oil and white balsamic that came in handy for this lil’ number.  Fear not, a nice EVOO and balsamic will do.  Remember, all that you need for a balanced dressing is an oil and an acid, at an approximate ratio of 3:1!
Auld Lang Syne - Citrus Vinaigrette
Zest of 1 lemon or tangerine
2T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8c lemon olive oil OR a quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/4t salt
2t white balsamic vinegar
1t mayonnaise or Veganaise
1t agave syrup or honey
Salt + pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Season the dressing to taste, using salt + pepper. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Serves approximately four party people, delicately dressed (the greens, not the guests).

Holiday Cookie Exchange!

“Veni, vedi, vici…bis coctum!”  Ah, yes, that’s Latin(ish) for, “We came, we saw, we conquered some cookies!”  For the second-annual cookie exchange, we gathered in our best, holiday California-casual attire to swap some sweets and revel in the recipes of our gal pals.  This year, we voted for treats in each of the following categories: best looking, best tasting, most creative and most unique holiday treats.  Printable details were inspired by those created by Natalie at BBM.  Each prize-winner took home a special gift, and we all departed with multiple plates and boxes of decadent and decorative delights!  Here are the treats, and recipes, from this special day!  Mark your calendars for next year’s exchange, to be held on December 9th, 2012!  Bonus…I’ve decided to offer a Gingerbread House Workshop prior to the cookie exchange.  Let me know if you’re interested in participating!

This year’s guests + treats are below.  Where recipes were not provided, I linked to a similar listing.  Thanks to Ginger for her photos!

Lisa: Father Christmas’ Addictive Krispie Treats

Martha: Holiday Butter Cookies

Angela: “No Kidding, They’re Made With…” Potato Chip Cookies

Wendy: Peppermint Almond Kisses

Angela: Turtle Cookies

Ginger: Ritz on the Rooftop

Angela: Mrs. Claus’ Super Sugar Cookies

Charlotte: Christmas Mittens

Angela: Dark Chocolate Mint Noëls

Vegetarian Lasagna…a Christmas Miracle!

As newlyweds, we felt the need to establish some holiday traditions:

#1 – Jungle Bells – visiting the zoo at night

#2 – Cookie exchange – try out a new recipe or three

#3 – Install a dog door that Chauncey will fear and resist bribery rather than use

#4 – The Empire Strikes Back – it’s always winter on Hoth

#5 – Christmas Card Lane – holiday lights

#6 – Take a hike…or run…or maybe just curl up under a blanket with a book

#7 – Make veggie lasagna for Christmas dinner!

We’ll point you toward another entry for cookie exchange details but, for now, we’ll share the recipe for the dish that makes anyone feel warm and fuzzy at the end of an intensely scheduled season – or at any time of year. Bonus: it freezes well! Note: prep the veggies in advance, and this will come together in a snap! A little delayed gratification is in order, as the 10min of resting time at the end allows the lasagna to set up so it can hold its shape when you cut/serve.

Sweet Pepper & Spinach Lasagna

(Adapted from Better Homes + Gardens)

9 dried lasagna noodles (do not use the no-boil, unless you like your lasagna to resemble the flavor of a school art-project)

1c chopped onion (1 large)

1c sliced, fresh mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced

2T butter (I suppose you could also use margarine…but I’m a hater)

1, 7oz jar roasted, red, sweet peppers; drained + chopped (or, if you’re the ambitious sort, roast 2 of your own!)

1, 10oz pkg frozen, chopped spinach; thawed + well-drained (thaw in the fridge 24hs or under the tap in a pinch)

1, 15oz container ricotta cheese

1c shredded mozzarella cheese

½c grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

2 beaten eggs

1t dried basil, crushed

½t dried oregano, crushed

1, 30½ oz jar meatless spaghetti sauce (c’mon, splurge a little on the good stuff!)

¼c grated Parmesan or Romano (for the topping)

1. Cook lasagna noodles as directed, until al dente. Drain + rinse.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook onion, mushrooms + garlic in hot butter (yum!) until tender but not brown. Stir in sweet peppers and set aside.

3. Pat spinach dry with plenty of paper towels. In large bowl, stir together the spinach, cheeses, eggs, basil, oregano, and ¼t pepper. Stir sweet pepper mixture into spinach mixture.

 

4. Spread ½ cup of the spaghetti sauce evenly in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over the sauce and layer with half of the sweet pepper-spinach mixture and 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the ¼ cup Parmesan/Romano saved for the topping.

5. Bake, covered, in a 375° oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 main-dish servings.